A Throne of Secrets
by itsalreadybeendone
Summary: A Throne of Glass series fanfic that follows the characters at the end of QoS as if *spoiler* they had simply killed the king and now ruled the kingdom. There is a plot to this, but tbh its mostly just cus I wanted some good Aelin/Rowan smut. So yes, there will be a couple introductory chapters, but after that stuff will get... um, steamy? Rated M for sex, language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Feel free to skip the A/N, I'm a rambler.**

 **Hey Guys! So I'll just preface this A/N with by saying the there is a note below that will be addressing anyone who has followed my previous stories (now deleted, but more on that later) if you guys are still out there. So this story is based of the Throne of Glass series, but I'll try to make it so that the story can be followed without having had the series. I just finished Queen of Shadows and am halfway through The Assassin's Blade, so I have no clue if my story will make sense after reading Empire of storms. I'm writing this as if Queen of Shadows was the last book, and the king was defeated and now its just the gang (that makes me envision them like the cast of scooby doo, ignore me) ruling the kingdom. Maybe this will change when I read EoS, maybe I'll write a different story for that, WHO KNOWS (certainly not this crazy). This is rated M+ because of gore, language, and bang bang banality banging. Lots of bangity bang actually...**

 **Ok, I'll shut up.**

.

Aelin savoured the simple moments, the moments where her senses weren't pushed into overdrive from adrenaline, where electricity wasn't coursing through her veins, slowly wearing off until she felt she had no light left in her body. Simple moments were when she decided which senses to indulge in, like the relief of her scalp being set free from the tight braid running down her back like a second spine, the subtle hints of jasmine shampoo she had used earlier that morning mixing with the steam of the bath being drawn behind her. More particularly, rather than indulgence, the beauty of these moments was selective ignorance. Aelin didn't acknowledge the crunch of dried blood that whispered as her deft fingers unwound her hair, she didn't feel the pain that pulled at her right shoulder she refused to raise, and most definitely she acted as if she didn't recognize the metallic tang of blood that mingled with the rising steam so intently she could taste copper on her tongue.

Ignorance vanished as the sound of rusted metal hinges snapped her spine into steel, but then momentary indulgence followed immediately by guilt surged through her as she drank in what had startled her. Rowan.

He moved so quickly yet so calmly it was as if the world around him slowed as his calloused hands pulled the bathing room door shut behind him. Each vertebra seemed to sigh in relief as Aelin sighed out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding part of in since she last lifted her bloodied dagger.

"You don't get to run away from me Aelin" Rowan said, his voice cool but not distant as he leaned against the door, his fingers digging into his arms as he crossed them over the grey t-shirt he had changed into.

He was right. After what she had done tonight he had every right to be angry with her, to want to shout in her face until his throat felt ready to bleed. She was a coward for sprinting away from him, from the bodies, the same black suit she still wore now, slipping through the night as she darted along roof tops so she could be alone was a pure act of cowardice. Of ignorant indulgence. But she had needed to.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have… that I could have… well, fuck, I'm just sorry. I won't ask your forgiveness because I don't deserve it. But know that I will do it again if I need to. Without hesitation." She whispered, looking at the white tile beneath her black clad feet, speckled with bits of brown -dirt or dried blood, she didn't want to know- not daring to raise her eyes to meet his.

A scoff echoed around the room as Rowan slid towards her.

"You're such an idiot" Rowan murmured as he stalked closer the her, backing her into the sink so she felt the cool ceramic seep through her suit into the hollow just above her tail bone. His hands rested on either side of her, his figure looming over her bowed head.

"I know. I know sorry can't excuse stupidity. Those men…. We'll never know what they could have told us. Fuck, I know you could have taken them out, but when I saw Xavier pull the dagger to your throat…. I couldn't stay with the plan. I'm sorry for ruining the information extraction, but please understand I will never apologize for keeping you with me on this earth." Aelin said just loud enough so that Rowan could feel the pain in her voice, the shame that muddled with a ferocity that was woven into every fibre that composed her.

A cool finger singed into her scorching skin just under the tip of her angular chin, drawing her eyes up to meet his. She nearly reeled back at his expression.

His eyes were warm as they drank in the sight of her bloodied face, shadowed by slightly furrowed brows. His full lips squirmed in their crooked smirk, as if fighting to hold back a laugh. He looked…. Amused.

"I don't understand how you can be so daft" He said, a warmth in his tone stumping her as he shook his head in exasperation.

"I sai-" she began, utterly dumbfounded as to how he wasn't tearing into her, but a calloused palm came down over her mouth, crushing her lips so they could move a millimetre.

"Can you shut up, for one second? Please?" He said, disbelief and humour lightening his deep voice, "you risked your life against sixteen men, sixteen trained men with a combined force nearly three times stronger than you, as I was bound in iron and had a dagger beginning to spill my life's blood, and you're apologizing?!

"I would have died had you not risked your life tonight Aelin. Yes, maybe I could have gotten the answers to our questions about our magic being changed, but they would have died with me."

Aelin knew this was a lie for her benefit, that Rowan could have had the dagger that had been held to his throat out of Xavier -the most feared warrior to travel into their land yet- 's hands and used it to gut each of those men within a matter of seconds. But as he held his finger under her chin, drawing closer with each exasperated word, the intimacy of the gesture made his words seem more genuine.

"You're not angry?" Aelin said, cursing herself for sounding like a child waiting to be scolded.

"Yes, I'm angry that you ran away from me, that I had to see the look of pain in your eyes before you jumped to the next balcony." He said, each word drawing him closer until they shared breaths, "But I'm most angry because you smell like absolute shit and I have to share a bed with you tonight."

And with that he pushed off the sink making her suddenly feel freezing as he rummaged through cupboards for more of her lavender salts to toss into the steaming tub. She was dazed, not realizing that she had been in a dizzy haze between his eyes and his mouth, his words sinking deep into her sore muscles and up into her brain until she felt their warmth.

"Rowan?" She said, snapping out of her haze and clearing her throat.

"Yes Idiot?" He said turning to face her as he swirled the water around.

Her gaze traveled from his toned legs that strained against the simple cotton pants he must have changed into since he got home, as he squatted beside the tub, up his narrow hips and the hanging shirt that hid a muscled abdomen, ascending his muscled arms and neck, and finally landing on his flawless face.

"Thanks." She murmured.

"Can you just shut up and get in the bath" He stood, crossing his arms waiting for a snapping retort or another argument.

But for once, Aelin listened, fingering the last of the knots out of her hair delicately but swiftly, then began deftly unzipping the skin tight suit that clung to every curve as if it were painted on her scared skin.

Rowan chewed at the side of his tongue, waiting for her sarcasm or… Or what he didn't know. But the look in her eyes of pain from earlier tonight after she slaughtered the last of the men that might have been able to answer their questions, had turned into something else. Something that reflected the want, the fire, the pull he felt pulse through her veins with each contraction of her heart. He could hear the zipper reach its end, and he knew he should have seen that as his cue to leave and let her undress and wash away the blood that surely soaked her… But he couldn't. Instead his eyes traced her elegantly toned body, taking longer to pass over the crook where her thighs met, how narrowing of her waist, the curve of her breasts, until he realized he was seeing the hollow of her collar bone was now the tan colour of her skin, not the black fabric of the suit. No, she had ever so slyly and slowly pulled down the shoulders of her suit to right before the curve of her breasts, showcasing the crooks where neck met shoulder that he had to fight himself not to grab her and run his mouth over, tasting her scent, feeling his teeth and tongue against her hot skin as he made her moan.

He snapped out of his reverie to notice she continued to peel of the suit ever so slowly, and he had less than one second before he saw enough of her breasts that he lost all control. He turned on his heels, knowing all too well she could tell -if not see- the effect she had had on him.

"Bloody idiot" He murmured as he slammed the bathing room's door behind him with such force he was surprised it hadn't splintered .

.

 **Alrighty! I know that was kinda confusing, but if you've read my stuff before you know that I like to make it so you have to figure out stuff as the story comes together chapter by chapter.**

 **So now for my old readers (I'll honestly be so amazed if there's more than a couple of you left). I'm sorry I left (and, y'know, deleted all my old work…) but I'm back and I'm healthy and all over just living a better life. I made some huge changes in my life and am happy to answer any questions you guys have if you want to leave them as reviews or feel free to private message me. I do still have all of Daunted (except for the first chapter, which I think I can re-write) saved on my computer and will republish it once I'm able to get it all in order. I know some of you guys didn't mind me rambling in my author's notes and updating you about my life and all it's craziness, so if you guys would like/don't mind, I would still love to do that because it was the first time where I felt people wanted to listen to me. If I get a lot of the same questions I'll respond to them in the next chapter's author's note, but I'm also happy to chat to anyone who wants to catch up, or if you need some advice I'm always around. I love you guys.**

 **D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! First of all, thank you so so much for all the concerned pm's I felt like I was right back with all you guys again, and the feeling of love and support actually made me shed a tear last night. To clear up some general questions about the actual story: yes, this will be a full story that is set in the same world with the same characters and most of the same backstory/previous plot supporting it. YES THERE IS GOING TO BE SEX. Sorry to shout, but like… yeah. they bang yo. Speaking of which, this chapter is super short because it was originally intended for it to be combined with the next chapter, but I think I want the smutt scenes to get their own chapters so people just looking for that don't have to skim over a whole bunch of my other crappy writing.**

 **I'm hopefully going to publish the next chapter tonight (which will be a lil naughty ;). Love you guys**

 _It began almost two weeks ago now since the first episode had struck._

 _Aelin was finally getting a chance to relic in her kingdom. Dorian had yet to be crowned and still said he wasn't ready as he paced the castle's long hallways daily. So Aelin bore the weight of the kingdom, she felt the fear course through children as she walked through markets to gather, the hatred of the wealthy, but more importantly, the aw of those she saved, the young ones now able to laugh and smile, the love from freed families now brought together._

 _Rowan and Aelin had been aimlessly racing down the streets -or rather, above the streets, on the roofs of crooked houses that lined the dark cobbled alleys- when Rowan's vision began to blur, as if he were straining to see through a fog. Each breath took more effort than the last, claws raking his lungs as the sting of each pulse drummed through the warrior. The leather of his boot caught on a loose tile, his calloused fingers grappling with the roof that was still warm from the sun earlier that day, finding nothing to grasp in the evening's darkness, even with his fae vision. He knew he was bound to fall, already embracing the pain of the street breaking beneath him and the ache that would stick with him hours past that._

 _In all his centuries, he had never experienced this fog that encompassed his mind. It was different from the pain he suffered when he lost his magic passing the barrier into this land, instead of his senses being ripped away leaving him feeling as if his skin had been torn from him, it was as if they flickered, momentarily becoming confused as every touch was dulled. When he moved his head it was if the world slowed selectively._

 _His fingers dug into the roof, shattering tiles as he went, but couldn't clear the fog in his head enough to sink his fingers in with the strength of gallons he normally could yield. His warrior instincts shouted at him to prepare for the inevitable and let go of the dying fight, even when it was something as juvenile as tripping and falling, so he thought ahead of how he should angle his doomed collision with the street below him._

 _His shoulder joint strained with his weight as warm fingers grabbed his wrist._

 _"Old age finally catching up with you eh?" Aelin said through gritted teeth with effort, the muscles in her arms aching with all of Rowan's weight and her digging into the roof as she helped him swing himself back up. She smirk at him, but he saw the flash of worry pass in her eyes as she surveyed him._

 _Episodes like this kept happening, alternating between Aelin and Rowan, sometimes while they sparred, but other times when they were simply sitting and eating dinner. They were always careful to keep the others from noticing, acting as if they were simply tired or in a bad mood, but something was beyond wrong…_

 _So wrong in fact, they feared to do much more than just hold each other in worry each night._

 **Real quick to my old readers, to answer the number one question of everyone's pm's: NO boyfriend and I did not break up haha, it killed me though 1) because you guys were all so sweet and caring in the way you asked that it melted my heart, but 2)as IF that boy is ever getting rid of me. But between you guys and me (and tbh him because I know he's reading this as I write it you sneaky little fuck) he almost got broken up with on Thursday night because he made me watch a scary movie with him and then had the NERVE to leave me home alone. Asshole. I'll answer some more of the more general questions I got with the next chapter and I think I replied to everyone who messaged me !Gotta go cus he's giving me eyes that say he's gunna get his ass kicked if he tries to pick me up right now. Gotta go teach him who's boss amiright?**

 **Wish me luck,**

 **D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hiiiii. Ok so 1) 'm sorry this took so long to post, but it's not my fault because we were watching family guy and cat came and fell asleep on us and then boyfriend fell asleep, so being the good owner/girlfriend i am, I thought was only polite if I followed suite (aka I passed out on boyfriend from all the pasta we ate and he was nice enough to not wake me up, but I swear cat started it.)**

 **2)Sorry this chapter is so long, but y'know, you don't want these things to come to fast (god I'm hilarious with all my sex puns). Enjoy!**

Rowan's eyes rose from studying the small gouge on his arm at the sound of the bathing room door creaking open. He was glad to be back in her apartment, to have a night where she wasn't the queen of a kingdom, where it wasn't her palace full of her court running in and out of her room every night, nom tonight she was no one else's queen but his own.

A slender leg stepped out of the steam escaping from the bathing room, and he drank in the sight of golden skin as his pine coloured eyes traveled upward from her sculpted calf, to her thighs and…

He shut his eyes and ground his teeth as he realized she wasn't wearing a towel, pain snaking up his arm from the already heeling gouge from the earlier fight, as his fingers curled and forearms tensed.

"Aelin" he growled, keeping his eyes shut as he sank farther into the bed.

"Rowan?" She singsonged in response. He didn't need fae hearing to know there was a predatory smile plastered on her gorgeous face. He could hear as each in of her warm skin settled into the cool floor with each slow, dragging step she took toward him.

His fingers drew up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he tried to hide how heavy his breathing had become with an exasperated sigh. He could hear where she stopped not even 3 feet from him, feel the warmth that emanated from her, and smell not the luxurious salts and soaps and oils and perfumes she had adorned, but instead her own musky perfume, the scent of want that crept from her every pore to mix with his own need. It took all his strength not to open his eyes, but he knew he wouldn't be able to resist throwing her to the bed, drinking in the sight of her, the taste of her, feeling her magic-

But what if he couldn't? Instead of feeling their magic harmonize, what if hers flickered, if she fell into the daze and he couldn't react fast enough to reign himself in. He could hurt her so easily, or worse.

"Clothes." he growled, "Put them on before you even think about talking to me before you're covered." He said through gritted teeth as his fists wrapped into the duvet under him.

"I imagine I wouldn't be using my mouth to talk if you would just open your damned eyes" she murmured impatiently has she stomped away from him towards the closet. He dared to open one eye just a crack and regretted it immediately, the sight of her walking away from him was, well it was too much…

Aelin heard the crack of the wall as Rowan slammed his head back into it, her enhanced hearing picking up the fibres in the white sheets beneath him tear as his knuckles pulled at them. His groan of frustration would have to suffice for the groans he could pull from him for now, she thought to herself defeatedly.

Her fingers dragged through the array of silks and laces hanging from polished oak hangers as if she was pulling her hand through a luxurious stream, hints of vanilla perfume dancing around on clothes in an attempt to hide the stale air that clung to them. She understood Rowan's resolve, and knew she should have even more fear than he did. Since having magic restored, any time she got too angry, or nervous, or overwhelmed in any way, something ended up with accidental singe marks, things would be distorted by the heat she didn't realize she had let out. Even if his magic didn't falter, she couldn't be sure she wouldn't hurt him.

Lost in thought, she was shaken into the world when her fingers hovered over a nightgown she had forgotten she even owned. The rich crushed black velvet seemed to melt under her touch, cascading around her skin like warm water in a stream. Aelin never wore this nightgown -really it was lingerie, but she would be the judge of that- because the way the light caught the glimmer of the slick fabric, it reflected silver, which she used to think contrasted her golden beauty too much. Now, as she slung it over her body and felt how it clung to her oiled skin, she saw that the silver reminded her of the man that held her heart, that he was her balance, not her contrast.

She gently shut the door of the closet behind her, her feet padding along the floor towards the tortured warrior.

She took a moment to drink him in, the way his worn cotton pants clung to his hip bones, doing little to hide the muscular V that had been sculpted from centuries of relentless work. In her peripheral she saw his shirt pooled on the floor, torn in pieces by what she had to assume were his angry fingers. Her gaze worked her way up, revelling at his flat abdomen, scarred and inked skin cloaking it, and she knew if she were to trail her fingers along the corded muscles that wound his arms, it would feel like steel under velvet. His face was pained, tired, annoyed… She knew that look, those tightly squeezed eyes, the white teeth biting down on his lip so hard she was surprised his canines hadn't drawn blood.

"Clothed" She mumbled almost as if it were an apology for his expression. The velvet of the already dangerous hemline rose higher as she perched on the edge of the bed beside him, her head angled towards him with a defeated half grin on her lips.

His eyes opened and she felt the weight of his gaze taking its time to travel up from her toes to her hips, she watched how his knuckles turned white as his emerald eyes continued upwards, taking in how the velvet looked like the night's sky itself had been painted onto her body, if only on a small portion of it. She watched his throat bob as he took in the open back and revealed as he didn't flinch at her scars, but instead the corners of his mouth turned up at the tattoos he had marked on her. She inched closer, letting the heat of her finger tips mingle with his, not quite touching, as he bit harder into his lip as he gazed at her mouth. She inched closer.

Finally, she could have reached out and touched his face had she wanted to, and his eyes met hers, mirroring the grin that had now spread across her gloating face.

"God's Aelin," he groaned, grabbing a pillow and chucking it at her face "I think we need to go over the definition of the word clothed"

Her hand jutted out, catching the pillow with effortless grace, tossing it to her side of the bed again. She left with feline agility, her knees planting on either side of his narrow hips, careful not to drop her hips too low too soon, lest he know just how unclothed she really was. Grabbing his wrists as if she could pin them in their place, she cocked her head and squinted her brows.

 _Did you really just throw a pillow at me?_ Her look seemed to say

 _Yes. And you'll be the next thing I'm throwing if you don't climb off me and calm down._

She leant in to whisper in his ear, making sure to give him a clear view of her chest as she did.

"If I were you," she breathed into him, her teeth grazing his earlobe with each word, "I would treat your queen with a little more respect and honour her wishes"

She rose her fingers, tracing the tattoos up his arms until they wound behind his neck, massaging the base of his scalp, her breathing beginning to match the uneasy, laboured rise and fall of his toned chest.

"Maybe I would show you more respect," he murmured as his hands wrapped around her slender waist to stop her from sinking into his lap, his thumb drawing circles in the velvet at the base of her spine, "if you would honour your court's wants and needs."

She rolled her eyes, a juvenile huff escaping her chest. Her eyes darted down to where her hips floated above his, noticing the strain in his pants. She cocked an eyebrow, a crooked smirk taking over her face.

 _I think my intent is to honour precisely every single want and need of yours, and fortunately they just happen to coincide with mine_

He growled, grabbing her wrists as she tried to pull him closer in to him, flipping them over so she lay on her back with her wrists were pinned above her head in one of his hands, his other pressed into the mattress beside her face keeping his nose just inches away from hers, and his knees propped in between her thighs, showing him just how skewed her idea of being clothed really is.

"No." He growled, his canines flashing in the light that danced off her nightgown.

"Why? There's no one here, its just you and I." She huffed, a soft pleading in her voice echoed the vulnerability and humanness she refused to show anyone else. She paused as his grip on her wrists loosened and his eyes darted away, "We won't hurt each other" she whispered, her hands resting on either side of his angular either side of his face until his eyes met hers, their lips just a breath apart.

"I could hurt you more than what you can begin to imagine" he said, no worry in his tone, just fact, as he knew he wouldn't falter and lose this argument.

"So? You've hurt me before. And at the time you were _trying_ to hurt me. I know you think you're indestructible and you're scared you'll snap me, but you should know: you're an old man, I can take you" She smiled, her tone masking the danger and worry she knew was too real.

Him eyes flashed with pain, so she softened her tone, bringing her fingers behind his neck do draw him so close that her lips were feathers over his as she whispered.

"You never let me fight unprepared, never expected me to be able to handle the seemingly impossible tasks before I had even began to take my first steps in my new world. So let me start taking steps into our new world, and we can work our way up to where the war ground is the riskiest." She finished, tilting her head up ever so slightly so her lips grazed his, a question, a plead.

He answered, first hesitantly, letting her feel his lips meet hers and guide her head back to the pillow beneath her. With every slight tilt of his mouth, the brush of his warm lips against hers, her nerves were pulled taught, the weight of need bearing down on the warm comfort every fibre of his being brought out of her.

As if it were any other training session for her, Aelin decided she was tired of the warm up, so she let her hands slide down from his cheeks, one resting where his shoulder blades came together, the other fisting into the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him into her. He responded with a growl, pressing his lips firmly against hers as his tongue asked permission against her lips and she welcomed it, his kisses slow, warm and beep with every draw of his lips and tongue against hers.

He rested his forearm above her head, propping himself so the smooth contours of his chest danced with the velvet that clung to her body. She pulled him in closer to her, committing every gents touch to memory in fear that he would make them stop any moment. His calloused palm reached down to her smooth calm, sandpaper on silk as he dragged it up the outside of her leg, guiding it around his waist so every inch of her body was pressed into his. His hand stilled as it rested on the outside of her this, just below her hip bone as their lips kept up skillful dance, as if he were deciding what the best route of action was best for the upcoming battle.

His hand snaked along her bare back side, pushing her into him as his fingers grabbed at the soft flesh covering perfectly sculpted muscle. She moaned into his mouth, wrapping her leg tighter around his waist and pulling his weight down on top of her. She knew he would worry that he was crushing her, but she wouldn't let him get the chance to act on his concern as her other leg wrapped around his hip to cross her ankles right over his backside. The velvet of her nightgown rode up as his nails dragged along her spine, twisting with the tattoo into the curve of her waist, trailing up to feel her ribs as she thrust herself against him

Their tongues fought for dominance, for pace, hers battling for fire, his balancing her out to passion and lust. Her breath hitched, giving him a chance to grin against her lips as the pads of his fingers reached the curve of her breast, tracing around the soft flesh before he ground his body into hers, taking her mouth by surprise with his sudden aggression while his calluses scraped against her taut nipples as he palmed her breast. His mouth traveled along her jaw before she had a chance to try to get control, his lips like ice against her steaming skin. She writhed under him, her legs wrapping tighter around his white marks were left in the wake of his teeth trailing down her neck until his mouth found where her pulse was strongest.

He kissed her neck gently, mirroring the action with his hand on her breast. Warmth began to build in the base of her stomach, a pressing weight that had nothing and everything to do with Rowan's body lying on hers. She moaned, her head falling back into the pillow as he continued to focus on her neck and breast. At the sound, his movements faltered and he drew back, looking into her eyes as he rose his chest, push her down against the mattress.

"May the Gods save you Rowan," She growled with narrowed eyes, flames crackling beneath her eyes, "I know we said we would take small steps but if you dare stop right now I will gut you like a fucking-" she was halted by the smirk on his face.

He huffed a laugh out his nose, shaking his head and looking down into her confused eyes.

"For someone bound to rule the kingdom, you are so daft." He smirked, biting down on his lip.

Before she could demand an answer, Each of Rowan's hands landed just below the hollow where her thighs ended, his thumbs resting just at her entrance. Within seconds, they were flying upwards with inhumane speed, just barely grazing her slit, humming over her most sensitive centre, and landing on the nightgown before tearing it to shreds. Like a crashing wave he sunk back down to her, bitting at her neck not quite hard enough to break the skin, his fingers drawing circles around her nipples.

"So very," he kissed her neck, "very," he trailed his lips along her skin, each of his movements along her skin echoed between her legs, "daft." He grinned, his face peering up from it's hover just above her left breast at her wanting expression, brows furrowed and her teeth biting into her lip to stop from moaning at the sight of him.

"I just wanted a better view."

And with that, he dove into her breast, his tongue circling her areola and teeth bitting down on her nipple gently, his hand mirroring his mouth on the other side. She panted, digging her fingers into his shoulders to stop herself from trembling. She had never been so close to finishing this soon, from so little -yet so much- as he continued to breath warm breaths onto her skin, biting and sucking and circling just the right places. She gasped, searching for air as her pulse thundered in her veins, inhaling the intoxicating scent of his want mixed with hers that seemed to pulse through the air.

He felt her close, could feel her need for release, could taste it off her skin, hear it in her moans, feel it in her quivering body. it was like a drug to him. Everything about her surged through his blood, like fire melting him, ice waking every nerve in his body.

She began to tremble under his touch, digging her finger into him so hard she knew there would be bruises left on his skin as he swapped breasts. She fought to keep from going over the edge, from letting go too soon. She felt him smile into her skin as she threw her head back into the pillows, as if he sensed her resilience. One breast grew suddenly cool as his hand left it, but instantly she forgot about it as she felt the callouses of his palms and the scratch of his fingers trail down to where her thighs met.

He looked up, drinking in the sight of her struggling for breath as she was wracked with moans. His hand just hovered above her slit, feeling warmth radiate from her. Under his tongue, his body, her muscles began to tense, and he saw his opportunity.

Just as she cried out, as the weight from her abdomen shocked through her body like cackling embers on a fire, he dove a finger into her dripping fold, her breath hitching in her throat at the feeling of his finger inside her, stretching against her already contracted walls like iced glass pressing into warm water. His thumb needed no time to find her clit, as she thrashed beneath him, his tongue continuing its assault on her breast as he pumped his finger inside of her, shattering her nerves as he circled the bundle of nerves. She was bucking under him, trying to get a breath as her pulse flooded every inch of her body with fire.

"Pl..Please… I can't… Rowan.. unghh" She begged, as he slowed, taking his hand to caress her thing as he kissed her neck.

She collapsed into the pillows, not realizing she had jolted upright.

"Glad we weren't in the castle for that?" He mumbled into her hair rolling over so he held her in place on top of him, her laboured but slowing breaths cascading onto his naked chest as he traced the tattoo along her spine.

He kissed the top of her head, watching her body begin to loosen again, her breathing becoming close to normal over the next few minutes. Finally she smiled up at him, bringing her mouth to his as he held her.

"I guess," she said into his mouth, "but you'll be thanking the Gods we weren't in a couple seconds"

She shot him a wicked grin as she pushed his chest away form her, beginning her journey downwards.

He stiffened, grabbing her shoulders with sudden intensity, yanking her back up and staring at the door.

"I hear something" he whispered, angling his body in front of hers as his muscles began to tense.

He was right, there was someone coming into the apartment and walking towards the bedroom. Aelin was just reaching for the blade in the stand next to the bed when Aedion's voice came through.

"You have 30 seconds to get clothes on and your asses out here before I come in." He shouted.

 **A/N**

 **Mwuahaha, I do love me a good cliff hanger. Hope you guys liked that one. Please do leave reviews and comments, it means a lot when I see you guys are out there actually reading my stuff, and of course I need to know where you want these stories to head *high-fives herself for another mediocre sex pun*. We're going out of town for a couple days tomorrow so at least I'lll get a good chunk of writing time on the plan because boyfriend zonks out the second the seatbelt sign goes on, but I'm not sure what my posting schedule will look like. ALSO just realized that my author's notes aren't showing up in bold like they used to, anyone know how to fix this? Love you guys loads, let me know what you think,**

 **D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry this is so late. Long story that I won't bore you guys with and I won't lie it's my own stupidity (and my ability to convince boyfriend to go along with my idiocy) which decided that getting drunk in the air port and then narrating people's thoughts is not the best way to make yourself be productive and inspire writing. This chapter is pretty unexciting I'll admit, I've been having a bit of trouble really getting into it so please leave me any ideas you guys have, even if its just "make them bang you idiot" because at the moment I feel pretty blah. I'll have another chapter out by Friday. Hope you guys enjoy and please let me know what you think, it makes me feel really nice to know you guys are actually out there reading this. Love ya, D**

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"Someone better be about to die, otherwise that will change very, very shortly." Aelin hissed as she slammed the bedroom door shut behind her. She wrapped her scarlet silk robe tight against her, her bare legs bare and picking up the golden embroidery thread artfully woven into the silk, her eyes taking in the sight of Rowan and Aedion staring daggers into each other, the tattoos on Rowan's still bare torso seemed to dance as his muscles flexed and unfixed with each seething breath. Aedion's fingers thrummed nervously against his emerald tunic, his muscles tense under Rowan's glare.

"Trust me," Aedion laughed, his gaze never wavering from Rowan's, "I wouldn't subject myself to seeing you two like this if it weren't important."

"Clearly it's not important enough for you to get on with it." Rowan growled.

"You guys can lay them on the table and measure later, Aedion, what in the Gods name in wrong?" Aelin snapped, both their heads whipping towards their queen.

Aedion's eyes shifted uncomfortably to the lounge at the sight of his scantily clad cousin, his brows furrowing as he tried to figure out how to go about what he was about to say. Aelin jumped when Rowan's rough hand wrapped around her silk clad waist. Her eye's darted up to see his forest eyes looking down at her protectively.

She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips to the side

 _I'm your queen, not your property. I can handle myself._

 _Trust me, I'm holding you back for Aedion's sake, not yours._

Aelin swatted his hand away, walking gently towards Aedion.

"What is it?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

Aedion looked into her face, worry heavy in his eyes.

"It's Dorian," Aedion said, "he's killed a servant girl."

The world stilled for a moment for Aelin, it felt as if the all the air had been sucked out of the room and once she let out her last remaining breath there would be nothing there for her to inhale after that. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her eyes darted around the room in panic, looking for something -anything- that could help her form a coherent thought. Had it all been for nothing? Had they fought, killed, lost innocent lives, destroyed a kingdom and nearly lost themselves in working to rebuild it all just to have it be folded into its revolutionary state by a monster? Had Dorian been to far past the point of no return?

Rowan's skin prickled to attention, each hair sensing the panicked tremors that were ghosting the room. He felt Aelin's chest starve for air as if it were his own lungs drowning, but knew he would have to let her be the one to speak. He had to let his Queen think.

"Where is he now?" She asked, her voice straining to sound calm over wavering breath. Her eyes stared into the empty hearth as she tightened her arms around herself, suddenly very aware of the amount of skin she was showing.

Aedion watched as his cousin transformed from as close to an panicked ordinary girl caught with an ordinary as she'll ever be, into a queen. Her shoulders sank back and down to show her steadying chest that rose and fell to the beat of her court. The colour had returned to her face as it settled into a calculating expression, chin high and mouth neutral.

"He's in his bedroom in the palace, but-" Aedion began, but Aelin was already off.

She ran to the closet, the wood door bending like wet beach wood beneath her fingers as she slammed it open, tossing her robe across the floor.

"Rowan and I will shift," Aelin shouted to the men as she grabbed blindly for clothes, "Aedion, you are to meet us at the palace and figure out a damn good debriefing for us by the time we reach the gates. Neither of you are to touch him unless I give you the command."

Footsteps pounded into the bedroom, the doors shaking on their hinges from their power. Aelin stiffened at the sound of Rowan grabbing Aedion and pushing him behind, picturing the silent conversation passing between them. Aedion coughed, the message to stay back having seemed to sink in, but Rowan left the closet door ajar as he glided soundlessly through.

"Aelin it's not how you imagine. You need to-" Aedion said, almost pleading.

"No," Aelin said, her voice a gentle whisper that boomed throughout the room, it's echo doing little to mask the pain in her voice, "Aedion these people are my responsibility and I have failed them again. Now do not obey me to appease me, but because I am your Queen and it is an order. We will meet you at the gates or so help you…" She said, her voice full of authority and confidence, but her face a mask of pain and sorrow for having failed her people once again.

She clutched the royal blue tunic she had grabbed to her chest as her braced her forehead against a strikingly polished mahogany cabinet wall, her eyes pinched closed. A calloused palm wrapped around her bare waist and pulled her so her brow now rested on a warm chest, it's steady rise and fall pained for the suffering queen.

"You couldn't have known." Rowan murmured , stroking his hand up and down where her shoulder blades met. The sound of Aedion slamming the apartment door didn't stir either of them. Aelin sighed then pulled her eyes up to Rowan's searching for his understanding as she bit down her lip.

"I needed to have known," she said, pushing off of him and throwing on her clothes at break neck speed, " I let him live, let him rule, without knowing…. without knowing what he was still capable of, without knowing who he was yet."

Rowan took a tentative step towards her, "Aelin listen to me, we are going to fix this, but you need to realize there is no way you could have prevented this." his low voice taking a cautionary tone.

Aelin whirled, her breath caught in her throat as she fought back her self inflicted rage, "I'm the one who's supposed to protect my people at all costs, but instead I ran away to indulge myself, to pretend I didn't have to take care of a kingdom like a little toddler running away from her chores. Do you realize we will never be alone, that we-" she kept on, her tone rising as her jaw clenched and loosened in an effort to keep her voice from breaking. Rowan stepped up and pinned her arms to her side, feeling the muscles beginning to heat up dangerously under her soft flesh. The forest inside his eyes served as an anchor to her raging sea irises as his hands slid up her tensed muscles to her strained neck. Warmth flickered from her cheeks under his hand, her golden skin warming like a beach's sand in sunset through his finger tips as he drew her face closer to his.

Breath passed between them, hers a pant of rage, pain and sorrow, and his one of wonder at the queen before him. He brushed his lips against hers, the feeling echoed throughout their entire bodies. Aelin sighed at the release, as if the vacuum of air inside her lungs had finally been filled, the self hatred that pounded through her veins was dulled. She drank all of him in, the smell of evergreen trees and ember, the the taste of fire and passion on his tongue that seeped out of every pore of his being, the feeling of his smooth skin speckled with scars she had traced countless times as she ran her hands down his neck.

She pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around her neck and climbing up so he took her weight, she tried to lose herself in him, pulling at her newly adorned tunic as she guided him towards the wall of the closet. With each pass of their lips she pulled him closer into her , winding her legs tightly around his waist she bit down on his lip, begging him for more.

"This isn't what I want this to become." Rowan growled, yanking her tunic back down and prying her off of him. He ignored the look of pain in her eyes, trying his best not to feel her chest cave a little.

"This," he said, placing her down and gesturing between the two of them, "is not some distraction. At least, it's not for me. Tonight actually meant something for me and I'm not just going to be a body to help you clear your mind." Rowan said, turning away from her and fisting a hand through his silver locks.

"I know. That was wrong of me." She sighed, leaning against the wall.

She cleared her throat and shook her head, "If… If I can't do it, can't finish Dorian…" her voice hitched.

He sighed, turning back towards her with a somber look in his eyes but a caring smile on his lips.

"You need only give me a look Your Majesty." He breathed into her hair, kissing her forehead.

"Then," she said, straightening, "I guess we race to the case now."


	5. Chapter 5

Helllllooooo there. So as promised here is the next chapter, pretty uneventful but it's just setting the plot up (and some naughty scenes). Please let me know what you think, PM's and reviews mean the world to me because they mean you guys actually exist! Also, lookin for an editor if anyone is interested, please send me a message. Enjoy :)

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Dorian paced his room, the stench of his vomit in the corner piercing the air. The air seemed to press in on him like frigid hands clawing out from between dungeon bars. Blood thundered through his heart, but he was fairly certain that if he were to raise his fixed fingers to his neck, there would be no pulse at all; in fact, he was fairly certain he could feel ice spreading throughout him like spider webs being spun in his veins, freezing each movement into numbness.

She was dead.

It had been nothing out of the ordinary, a young servant girl had shyly knocked her delicate fist against his thick wood door, the sound echoing around his room like a distant drum.

"Come in" he had called, smiling up from his table as she petite blonde peeked out from behind the large tower of towels she carried, a timid grin on her face.

"You're Majesty," she had said trying for an awkward curtsey, but with the large load in her hand she had began to fall. Dorian had jumped to his feet, sending his velvet chair flying behind him, just in time to grab her around the waist. He had felt it the second his palm met her body, like a thin layer of ice cracking under his touch. Her young face had flinched, her thin lips letting out a high pitched cry she quickly stifled with her hands, the towels already on the ground, forgotten.

"I'm… I'm so sorry! That's never happened before, are you hurt?" Dorian had stammered, stepping towards her. He had felt his heart grow heavy as the young girl flinched back from his approach, fear clouding her eyes momentarily. She had smiled -or at least tried to- with shiny eyes back at him, her hand clutching her waist where he had grabbed.

"I'm so sorry," she said dropping her eyes from him and bending over to gather the towels back up, "I can be so clumsy Your Majesty, that load must have been too heavy for me and I'm not as strong as the other girls- well now look at me mumbling. I do apologize Sir." She rambled nervously, straightening up with a grimace.

"Please, let me help you." Dorian had said, reaching towards her but she only flinched again, wincing as she did.

"No no Sir, please, I'll just put these away in the bathing chamber then I'll be out of your way, I'm sorry." she had said quickly, her worn shoes scraping against the stone floor as she scurried past him.

Dorian had stood there, confusion coursing through him down to his freezing fingers, only pulled out of his daze when he saw the girl bowing to him before whirling away, her movements slightly lethargic. He had reached for her, wanting to apologize but when his hands wrapped around his frat wrist, he felt it. Her skin was ice cold.

That had been earlier in the day, but word had drifted up to him by supper that the girl was in the infirmary. Dorian had gone to visit her, to listen to her, to help her in any way that he could, but she begged for him not to come near her through the thin curtain in the infirmary.

By midnight, a servant boy around his age rapped on his door with the requested update, informing her that she had passed away.

So now, Dorian paced. He let his feet carry him back and forth, each turn his eyes glancing on the dagger on his bed. Five steps towards it, and five steps away. Five steps towards it, five steps away. He paced until his legs let out, then eventually sat on the edge of his bed, dagger in hand.

She was dead.

He hadn't been able to find out her name, no one knew. The only thing he could find out about her was that she was first in the long line of young people wanting to get a chance to serve the castle since they had restored it from its terror. A chance to serve the Crown Prince. A chance to serve a murderer.

The thick bedding beneath him creased, its luxurious fabric sagging under his weight. Every thought that pounded through his brain was registered, but not felt. He couldn't bring himself to cry, not when he was the monster, no, he wouldn't let himself weep when it was his fault.

The blade sat heavy in his palm, eat breath more laborious than the last as he willed himself to stop. Stop breathing. Stop feeling. Stop existing.

Aelin was pinning him down before he even heard the thud of his door slam open. She hadn't bother to change back into her human form, heat nearly singeing where her knees dug into his hips, one hand pressed right below his throat, the other clenched around the dagger he had just been holding. Fire burned beneath her eyes as they searched his face, looking for a sign, anything, that something in him was dark, but as her gaze softened and her eyebrows knit together as the dagger clattered to the ground.

"Do it." he whispered, biting the inside of his lip until there was no longer moisture in his eyes. "Please, just do it. You owe it to me, from the time after you rescued Aedion. You had been so close then but please, before anyone else gets here. Just finish me. Say I attacked you." He rushed, his voice breaking at the mention of that day.

Cool air replaced her knees, and she climbed off of him, guilt clouding her face.

"So it's true… What Aedion said? You didn't mean to?" She said, her stare contemplative as she took in his collapsed figure.

Dorian grimaced as he sat up, his blonde hair matted from having run his fingers through it incessantly.

"That's even more reason to kill me Aelin. I can't control myself, I simply stopped the girl from falling for Gods' sake, what will it be next? Will I shake a child's hand and watch them fall? Will I be in a meeting when suddenly everyone's hearts freeze over? Or will I wake up to find myself covered in innocent blood, just like last time? Just do it now before I hurt anyone else." Dorian said, his voice rising with the jagged huffs of his chest.

Aelin tried to ignore as his voice broke, tried to ignore the valid points her friend laid out before her. She reached out to touch his arm, but he whipped himself backwards, shaking his head at her and holding out his hand.

"Dorian, I was this way too. I nearly killed myself countless time from the power I didn't know how to control, and I would have killed others had I not had Rowan to guide me, train me. It wasn't fair of us to expect you to take this all on by yourself. Let us help you -let me help you- control yourself. If we killed you, our kingdom would follow." Aelin said in a hush tone, touching his shoulder.

"If… if I let you, you swear you will be the one to kill me if I turn dark again, if I lose control?" Dorian said.

Aelin bit down on her lip, shaking her he'd solemnly.

"Then…. Oh Gods… Then I guess so. But until then, this is your kingdom. No one comes near me until I'm safe." He said shaking his head in his hands.

Aelin nodded again. She sat for a while after that in silence, watching the prince return his breathing to normal, and eventually she backed out of the room leaving himself to his thoughts. Before even turning around Aelin sighed to Rowan outside the door.

"Well that took a turn of events."


	6. Chapter 6

HIIIIIIIIIII. Ok so I'm sorry it's been so long that I've updated this story, I'm kinda realizing I'm not really feeling making a huge spin off story like I did with my other story, and more into just writing the sexy adventures of Aelin and Rowan. I totally get it if you guys would prefer some back story and an actual plot because I remember searching for a good spin off with le banging in it for this series and coming up fairly empty handed. But seeing as there is another book out that I haven't read I feel like I'll fuck up *badum tisssssss* somehow, so I don't know. What do you guys want? Please let me know cos otherwise I have no clue what I'm writing. Reviews and favourites and follows mean the world to me, so please do let me know what you think and if you want more, cut that's what keeps me writing! Also, looking for editor for my story so if you're interested let me know! Love you guys.

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Aelin tried her best to hide her grin in the fur lining of her cloak as she stalked towards the grappling men before her, her grey dress billowing around her ankles. They had decided it would be best to train Dorian somewhere dry and warm so he could feel the changes, so the old practice riding stables had seemed like the perfect choice. The room was plenty large enough for at least 5 horses to run around in comfortably, with pale wood walls towered up nearly 4 stories high arcing into a domed thatched roof that mirrored the dense, frizzy hay that carpeted the floor. Dark wood beams criss-crossed high above, their intricate patterns lacing together to look like a giant net that supported the ancient roof, bits of sunlight pouring through holes that years of rain and wind had formed in it.

Her boot kicked an empty hip flask, bits of hay and dust flying up with it. Since these stables had been for nothing more than the young nobles to practice in, it had grown idle and become the perfect spot for the staff to escape for a moments time. Suddenly, the earth under her jolted, the fodder freezing over into so quickly it was almost as if they were shards of glass caught in an ocean's wave.

"He can't do that!" Dorian said, pointing to Rowan as he stormed towards Aelin. His face had grown even more tired than before, exhaustion staining under his eyes.

Rowan had turned a wave of Dorian's power against him, sending it back in his direction, hence the wave of frosted earth beneath her.

"He can," she said, bowing her head at the sight of Rowan's sly grin, "and he can do that as well." Just as she finished, Rowan had pounced on Dorian, the earth shuddering as a wall of earth and ice spiked, reaching nearly to her knees, as if it were the resounding blast of a catapult snapping down. A gust of wind destroys the wall, sending shards of ice in all directions except Aelin's, bits jutting out from wooden walls to reflect the light and make the now training room mirror the image of a crystal chandelier.

Aelin shivered, the air suddenly feeling as if she had stepped into the dead of winter's night in nothing but a slip. Heavy lids closed over her eyes, the gold circle around her pupil flickering as she first flooded her body with warmth, then let her breath out and imagined a wave pouring out of her, the frost thawing from the air and the warm scent of hay and sod returning to the air.

"I don't care about being attacked, I would gladly welcome it in fact." Dorian said, avoiding Rowan's outstretched hand as he stood, shaking the hay from his burgundy tunic. "I want to be able to help, to stop the pain I've caused so many others," his voice hitched, "I can't continue to survive -let alone rule in any sort of way- when I'm scared to lay a hand or thought on a single soul." He fisted his fingers through his hair, the golden strands knotting together over his bare fingers.

Rowan's stare flickered from Dorian over to Aelin as the Prince talked, compassion and understanding Aelin could only wish he didn't have shadowed his every movement as he rested his hand on the Prince's shoulder, his emerald gaze never leaving hers.

"Before you can control it, before you can tame it, you need to understand it," his boot kicked up sawdust as the two mens' slow track towards the entrance continued, "it's easy to fear what we cannot comprehend. That's a lesson I had to learn many centuries ago, that our Queen herself struggled with before my eyes. But now look at her; look at the strength she brandishes, the power she wields, the control that intensifies every second of every day. Even now, centuries and lives worth of training and I still fear losing control. As I -as we all- should."

The men had reached the exit and Dorian simply shook his head in understanding and a silent thank you. The prince turned to Aelin and smiled, the sort of smile the showed no teeth and did not reach the eyes.

"You're right. Thank you both." He said, his voice hollow and without echo as he gently shut the door behind him, leaving Rowan and Aelin alone in a silence that froze the air as if the world had been momentarily put on hold.

"Well that went well." Rowan finally said, turning towards Aelin form where he rested against the decaying door.

"There's something off with him… Something has changed." She said, watching Rowan's ragged training shirt snag then release from a bit of chipped wood as he walked towards her.

"You would be off too if you had just come out of being possessed by a demon only to accidentally kill an innocent stranger." Rowan said, his voice heavy for the prince as he wrapped his arms around Aeling, resting his chin on her head. He pulled her in close, listening to the deep inhalations of her small frame. She suddenly felt both all too small and all too large for the booming space around them, two entertained figures statued in the centre of the old building.

"That speech, you need to stop preaching it to me, 'I fear my own strength' I just can't listen to-" she began, pulling out from under him to peer up into his downturned face, but he silenced her, pressing his mouth against hers.

His lips were tentative, brief, frost melting off into dew in the warmth of a day.

"You need to realize it's not just a speech, " he said, his hands on the side of her face, palms just brushing her neck, "that every second I touch you, "his fingers shifted on her cheeks and his gaze followed them, "every time I breath you in," he leaned in close again, "every time I taste you," he spoke so close to her face she could feel the hum of every syllable against her parted lips, "I dread the wanting out of fear that I could hurt you. If a touch," his hand slid from her face, the back of his fingers deftly brushing over her cheeks, her collar bones, the right over her breast as if they were no more than a feather, but electricity shot from his touch through her chest, "could cause us to hold into one force, it could also cause us to disintegrate. My touch could destroy you and I can't - I won't- let that happen." He said, stepping back so suddenly Aelin nearly fell forward at the sudden loss of his presence.

She hadn't realized he had backed her up so she was nearly flush against one of the large supporting pillars that stretched up to the roof. She watched as he took a step to walk away, raking her eyes up his sculpted figure, the way his loose training pants strained over muscled quads and a sculpted backside, the way the cited shirt he wore showed the contours of the muscles lining each side of his spine and winding up into the muscles at the base of his neck.

Her hand flung out and grabbed onto his bicep, sending him crashing into the pillar right behind her with such force that the resounding boom echoed for what felt like an eternity. She ignored the chunks of ceiling her tossing him against the wood had shodden loose as she pressed him back into the pillar, her wicked grin spreading as she shed her disheveled cloak.

"I said," she spoke slowly, lust driving from her hushed voice as her hands dripped down from his shoulders, slowly pulling his face down to hers while trying her best to keep him pinned on the pillar. He feet found ground easily, years of training backing her every movement, taking the offence at his resistance, "that I was done with speeches".

Her lips rested on his neck with the last word, her tongue darting out and tasting the sweat from a hard couple hours of training of his tanned skin. She sucked against his neck for a moment, breathing in his scent as he fingers knotted in the base of his hair, pulling him down as she traveled up until finally her mouth rested on his.

"I far more prefer to take action." she said, a barely audible whisper as her lips crushed his. He was ready for her, their lips dancing together like a choreographed dual, both opponents fought with all their might. Aelin wove took one hand from his hair and snaked it around his shoulder, pulling him closer and her shoulders nearly in level with his crouched ones. His tongue traced the outline of her, pulling a moan from her as he claimed his place, his hands roaming down her waist and the other making it's way back up to press in the hollow of her spine. In one swift movement he tore her from the ground, used on hand to hoist her up so he legs could wind around his hips. He whirled, pressing her back into the pillar and using his weight against her to keep her suspended there, granting freedom to both of his hands.

She shivered as he kissed down her neck, her head pressing back into the soft wood as she bit down on her lip to keep from moaning as his hand came up to her breast and mimicked his tongue's circles on her neck with his thumb on her nipple. Her hips rocked against his as his other hand trailed up her leg, a buzz left on her skin in it's wake all the way up to where he had pushed her the skirt of her thin dress up over her hip to her bare backside, his fingers digging into the flesh as his lips bit into her neck.

"It's fairly far away from the castle eyes out here." She panted, her nipples stiffening under his touch as he pulled back and furrowed his browns with a sarcastic grin as if to say

 _Are you kidding me?_

 _What?_

He pressed his lips to hers and smiled as she continued to writhe under the slow circles he traced, the stiff peaks on her chest clearly pointing through the thin grey fabric of her dress.

"It's not nearly fear away enough for what I plan on doing to you." He stepped back, taking her with him as he sunk down into the hay and held her in his lap, letting her grind her hips in a slow rhythm against his stiffening member as their tongues battled for dominance. Her fingers unwound from his hair and went to the hem of his shirt before she grew impatient and simply tore the fabric from his toned chest with her strong nimble fingers.

He growled, tossing the shredded fabric from his shoulders. He stood up on his knees, taking her with him and halting her marginal relief from connecting their cores, only for a moment, before he dove forward, roughly tossing her onto soft hay before landing onto of her, his lips dominating hers as his hand ran the length of her torso. She felt the rough pads of his fingers press into the hollow between her ribs and hip, each digit digging into her skin, promising to leave red marks in their trail as he traced down over her hipbone and around her side, pulling her up and into him.

"Are you particularly attached to this dress?" He murmured into her lips, his hips stating to rock against hers, his arousal as clear as her moans in the otherwise soundless stables.

"Not particularly, I guess . Why?" She said, her head pulling back to send a questioning stare at his odd question.

As if in reply, his lips spread into the grin of a little boy who just got away with a naughty trick before diving back down onto her lips, letting her taste his tongue. The hand that had been pulling her into him vanished, letting her sink back down into the soft and prickly hay beneath them, his hips sinking down along with hers. Suddenly the sound of fabric tearing rose above the thundering of their hearts as the remaining chill of the hair hit her bare breasts, her breath hitching as they strained painfully in the new breeze.

"They invented these things called clasps.." She said rolling her eyes to try to hide how badly she yearned for him to pay attention to her straining breasts as she wound her fingers down his muscled back.

"You'll be lucky if theres even a scrap of fabric left to use a clasp on." he whispered into the hollow beneath her ear. His teeth found her earlobe, tugging at the skin as his hand found her breast, palming her nipple as she pressed herself forward into his touch. His smile could be felt as he kissed and bit his way down her neck to her exposed breast. His tongue against her rock her nipple was like fire spreading over ice, the relief pushing her head back into the hay.

Rowan's hand traveled down form her breasts as his mouth switched sides, his fingers tearing through the fabric as if it were paper, their strength oozing from every flick of the muscles in his forearm. Fabric was torn from her body haphazardly as if there were some fatal wound he was searching for in a frenzy. Finally, she wore nothing more than shreds of fabric clung to her writhing body. He traveled up, leaving her damp breasts to ache for his attention. He kissed up her neck laughing as she tried to lean forward so she could reach the waist band of his pants, but he pushed her back down as if she were no more than a child reaching for a toy.

"You're going to stay absolutely silent, are we clear?" He murmured right above her mouth, staring into her eyes with such ferocity she felt hers blaze back in reflection.

"You'll have to try-" she started to whisper, but his mouth sank down into hers like a snake striking its prey. His teeth bit into her bottom lip and pulled, his hand sinking down the inches above where her thighs meet.

"That means not a single word Aelin. Not a sound." He said commanded.

He didn't wait for her to nod before he dipped down, brushing his palms against her nipples as he dipped his tongue into her navel for a brief second before kissing his way down. She savoured the feeling of his hands burning down her ribs and coming to dig into the flesh of her backside as he slid down in between her bent legs.

His mouth hovered over her slit, his gaze flicking up and a crooked grin huffed out of him as if to say:

 _Good luck obeying that command_

He struck, his tongue diving in for a deep lick up her folds sending the movement echoing up her spine like his fingers caressing her. She felt him breath her in, his tongue pressing firmly in tongue strokes just on either side of her entrance, alternating sides. She tried to suppress a groan as her neck muscles tightened.

He kept up his assault, his tongue now probing her entrance as his strokes began to centre more. Up, down. He pushed harder with his tongue so it entered his just a fraction on his upward stroke, ending right below her most sensitive point. Up, down. His tongue sank into her and lingered there for a moment drawing a shallow circle as she bit down on her lip and thrust her head back into the hay to keep from crying out. Up, down. His hands grabbed just below her hip bones and pulled her tighter to him so the ends of her thighs pressed into his shoulders.

Up, down. Up, down.

He let his tongue enter her completely and drew slow, tantalizing circles inside of her, spreading her apart with his tongue. Up, down. He growled into her cunt as she writhed beneath him, commanding her to be still as he pressed one hand down into her abdomen just below her navel. The sound vibrated against her and her stomach clenched deliciously.

He ended his journey higher and higher with every lick, a fraction of a millimetre from her apex. Her breathing grew faster and shallower and she willed herself into silence, the command he only thing anchoring her to this planet as he continued. She felt the prelude of a tremor start to curl her toes.

Large fingers spread her open, his first and second finger rocking into her as he plunged to her clit, taking it into his mouth and sucking on it viciously, his fingers now a forceful beat of a warrior's drum as the slid in and out of her. His tongue pushed and danced over her clit as he sucked and pulled.

She tightened around him, her back arching, her stomach began to spasm like small spurts of fire were being yanked from within her. Smoke began to rise from the hay beside her, but a wind quickly silenced them. She tried to scream but nothing other than a squeak came out as she tried to catch a breath, but Rowan continued his sucking and licking and plunging and pulling and filling and…

Finally, when she collapsed and felt as if every muscle in her body had vanished, Rowan slowed, using one hand to help him slide up as he kissed his way up to her neck, soft little pecks, the other pressing down on the burning embers of hay outlining her body. He pulled her limp body into him, resting her sweaty forehead against his naked chest and smiling as he nuzzled into the top of her head.

"I've got to admit," he said with a smile, pulling her face up to wonder at his, "I do like it when you obey my commands, theres something quite nice about it."

She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling into his neck.

"Don't get used to it." she mumbled with a yawn. She started to squirm out of his hold and tried to move downwards but he caught her under the armpits and laughed, yanking her up and wrapping her tightly in his arms as he played on his side.

"No no no," he said, "you are quite tired and the last thing I need is a toothy yawn to ruin my day."

She rolled her eyes at him but he flickered her in the arm, drawing a hiss from her.

"But," he said hugging her tighter, "between the two of us we have one pair of pants. And although I think it would be hilarious to watch you streak through the palace, I don't know if that's the best message to send as the new Queen of this Kingdom."

He rose up, lying her into the warm hey and bending down to kiss her on the forehead before tossing her cloak over her.

"I'll be back with some clothes for you in but a moment." He called as he ran out of the training stables.

She watched his receding form, her breath finally back to its normal rate.

"Well now, I just thought he would never leave." A voice said quietly from the shadows.

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A/N

I forgot how fun and weird it is to write sex scenes. Like one would think I'd be all like ~in the mood~ with like candles lit and giving boyfriend bedroom eyes, but really I'm taking frequent writing breaks to shop amazon for picture frames and trying to stick my toes in boyfriend's face so he takes a study break and walks to Dominoes with me because it's cold as balls outside and its too dark so I'm scared to go alone. Also, as far as this type of sex scene (I like how I can write about it in detail but then when i address you guys directly I can't bring myself to say 'giving head' without squirming) I don't really know if you guys want me to write the whole Aelin goes down on Rowan part or not, I've never written about that and for some reason it feels weird for me to write about it, like oddly more personal. If you guys want it, I will write it, just gotta wrap my head around it (btw after rereading this I laughed out loud because I didn't realize that "wrapping my head around it" wasn't the best expression to use here and now boyfriend flat out thinks I'm high). Please let me know, also, if there are some sex scenes in particular you want let me know, but I'm not down to write butt stuff cos quite frankly I just aint about that life. Alrighty I'm gunna go after that little chit chat and fetch me some pizza, let me know what you guys thought about this chapter.


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